The Life She Only Imagined
by KeaJade
Summary: Well, know how Mara wasn't there during the entire YJK series, even though she was supposively married to Luke? This is about where she was and why she was there and everything that happens after up to Star by Star
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own anything but Kea

****

Chapter 1 

Just about two months after the whole Crystal Reef problem was resolved, Jaina Solo was sitting on a stone jutting out from the side of the Great Temple.  She was supposed to be working on her meditation skills, but she just couldn't concentrate.  Zekk was supposed to be returning home soon, and she really missed him.  One day he just packed and left, not telling anyone anything, except for Master Skywalker, and he didn't seem to be sharing information.  Jaina was worried about him, wondering if he was going to come back.  She didn't talk to anyone about this, especially her brother Jacen who would just make fun of her for it.  But she could always get him back later due to a certain other thing. 

She stared up towards the orange planet of Yavin, thinking about Zekk, when she saw something metallic gleaming in the light from the setting sun.  It was a ship, but she couldn't get a clear reading of whom it was.  So she ran to the landing field just to make sure.  She got there just as her Uncle, Luke Skywalker, exited from the landing bay.

"Hello Jaina."  Her uncle called to her.  "Did you come to welcome your Aunt Mara back?"

"Actually, I was hoping it might be Zekk, but I guess it's not."  She answered, "Well, since I'm here already, I guess I'll say hi to Aunt Mara.  By the way, where has she been for the past year and a half?"

"She'll explain it all when she lands, but first, would you mind going to get your two brothers?  They should be here too."

Jaina nodded her head and went into the temple to find them.  What she needed to find them for she wasn't sure.  All she knew was something was about to happen, and she wanted to know what it was.

She walked through the hanger bay and spotted her younger brother Anakin helping Lowbacca fix his T-23.  Anakin's best friend, Tahiri, was sitting on the ground next to them.  Lowie happened to be halfway inside the engine compartment, growling to Anakin to hand him something.   

"Master Lowbacca would greatly appreciate it if you were to hand him a hydrospanner, Master Anakin."  Em Teedee called out in his little droid voice from on top of the toolbox where Lowie had placed him.  

"Hey Em Teedee," Jaina called as she crossed over to them, "I thought all he said was 'Gimme a hydrospanner.'"

"Well really!" He said with a little huff.  "I was just trying to make what he said sound well mannered.  There is nothing wrong with that, is there?"  Em Teedee is Lowie's translating droid that his uncle Chewbacca gave to him when he first started his training at the temple.  By now, all the Young Jedi Knights could understand Lowie, so there really was no use for the little droid, but they kept him around anyway.

"Oh, hi Jaina, come to help?"  Her little brother asked her.

"I'd love to, but Uncle Luke told me to find you, Anakin.  He wants you to go meet him out on the landing field."  She told him. "And do any of you happen to know where Jacen is?"

"Last time I saw him, I think he was headed for the roof to spar with Tenel Ka."  Tahiri said to her from the floor.

"Thanks Tahiri.  See ya in a minute Anakin."  Jaina hurried off to the lift tube as Anakin went out to the landing field.

The lift tube quickly took her to the top of the temple where Jacen and Tenel Ka were sitting on the edge of the temple, their legs dangling off the side.  The two practice sabers they were using, lay discarded, off to the side.  

_This is very unlike Tenel Ka.  She'd never give up a good fight._  Jaina thought to herself.  But then she noticed something; they were holding hands.  A surprised look crossed her face and then she stifled a giggle.  Tenel Ka must have heard her because she left go of Jacen's hand and turned around.  Jacen turned around too and when he saw his sister standing there, his face went bright red.

"Hi guys."  Jaina called over to them, smirking.  "Jacen, Uncle Luke wants you on the landing field now."

"Jacen, I shall bring the practice sabers back down."  Tenel Ka told him as they got up off the stone floor.  "You go with your sister."

"Ah, why don't I help you first?"  Jacen asked, not really wanting to be alone with his sister after what she just saw.

"Jacen, are you implying that Tenel Ka is not able to do it herself?"  Jaina questioned him, knowing that this would start something.

"No…I just…well…" He couldn't seem to get out what he was going to say and his face went bright red as he stared sheepishly at Tenel Ka.

"Oh, come on Lover Boy."  Jaina grabbed her brother by the arm and dragged him back to the turbolift.  When the doors closed, she turned to him, "So were you having fun?"

"Shut up Jaina.  Do not discuss this again."  Jacen said as the lift quickly descended towards the landing bay.

"But this is too good to forget."  Jaina answered, still smirking at him.

By the time they ran onto the landing field where Uncle Luke and Anakin were standing, Mara's ship, the _Jade Saber_, a present from her husband, had just touched down and was now completing the shutdown procedures.  Then the hatch opened and Mara stepped out.  She ran straight over to Luke, hugged and kissed him, and then went to go hug her niece and nephews.

"Hi Aunt Mara, welcome back."  Anakin said to her.

"Did you find any cool animal specimens on the planet Terra?"  Jacen asked her.

"Why did you go there, Aunt Mara?"  Jaina asked before she could answer Jacen's question.

"That's why."  She pointed to the ship, and standing on the ground in front of the ship was a girl Jaina had never seen before.  She had red hair like Mara, but it had black streaks in it, that was cut short and spiked.  She had dark green eyes, with a few bright blue specks in them, and they looked very surprised at something.  She was wearing a very strange outfit that Jaina had never seen before.  It was a black tank top and long gray shorts that went past her knees.  She had a backpack slung over each shoulder and two duffel bags on the ground next to her.

"This is my daughter, Kea."

*                      *                      *                      *

Kea was different, very different from anyone Jaina had ever met.  She was very quiet while Jaina, Jacen and Anakin had given her a tour of the Temple.  Then Jacen and Anakin went to evening meal while she showed Kea her room.  Kea opened one duffel bag and neatly put all her clothes in a bin, and placed it under her bed.  Then she opened the other duffel bag, which was filled with nothing but books.  She put them in some sort of order on the shelves that were built into the wall.  Opening a backpack, she took out a ton of notebooks full of writing paper, and a few pens and pencils, and placed them neatly on the desk.  The last backpack was filled with odds and ends that she placed around the room.  Jaina watched all this and wondered what Kea was like.  She hadn't said a word yet, and her facial expression hadn't changed at all.  She turned to Jaina and caught her staring at her.  "Where's my mom?"

She was startled by the sound of Kea's voice.  "Oh, yeah.  Come on, follow me."  She led her down to the dining hall where only her Uncle Luke and Aunt Mara were sitting, drinking something called hot chocolate.

"So Kea, do you like it here?"  Uncle Luke asked her.  She seemed to think about this for a while and then nodded her head as a smile crossed her face.

"I'm glad you do.  Here you go."  He handed her a full mug of hot chocolate.  She took it gratefully and started to sip it.  Then she reached into her pocket and pulled out a bag of little fluffy white things that she added to her drink.

"What are those?"  Jaina wondered out loud.

"Those are marshmallows."  Mara told her.  "On Terra they are made of sugar and people put them on things, like hot chocolate for instance."

"Oh."  Jaina said and took one as Kea offered the bag to her.  It was fluffy and it almost melted in her mouth.  "These are good."

"Then you might like some other Terran food that Kea brought with her.  A lot of it is made with sugar."  Mara told her.  Kea finished her hot chocolate, put the cup down, and let out a little yawn.

"Tired?"  Mara asked her.  She nodded.  "Maybe you should go to bed now."

"Okay."  She got up and walked out of the mass hall and back to her room, leaving the rest of the sitting there.

"Aunt Mara, could you tell me a little about Kea?"

"Maybe tomorrow, okay Jaina?  I'm a little tired myself right now."

"Long journey huh?"  Luke asked her.  She yawned in response.  "C'mon, I'll take you up to bed."  They left the mess hall, leaving Jaina all alone.  She got herself another cup of hot chocolate and drank it as she thought.  Thought about her family, friends, Kea, and of course, Zekk.


	2. Chapter 2

            I never thought people would actually like this story.  Well, here's chapter 2.  Sorry it took so long, but I have to work, so I don't get a lot of time to write.  But know that I have my own computer; I should be able to write more.  Enjoy.

Disclaimer:  I don't own Star Wars, unfortunately

****

**Chapter 2**

Jaina woke up late the next morning.  She ended up staying in the dining hall thinking longer than she had expected.  She hopped out of bed, hurriedly got dressed, and ran back to the dining hall.  As she entered through the door, she found all her friends already sitting at their usual table.  She sat down in her usual seat at the table with Lowie, Jacen, Tenel Ka, Anakin, Tahiri, Lusa, and Raynar.  The only one missing was Zekk.  Her eyes fell as she saw his empty seat.  

"Hey sleepy-head."  Her brother said to her, "It's about time you got here.  I'm almost finished and I thought you were never gonna show up, so I was about to eat breakfast for you."  He handed her a bowl of mushy stuff that smelled really appetizing.

"Thanks Jace."  She proceeded to eat the mush.  Despite the strange appearance, it tasted sweet, but with an odd texture.  "I was tired, sorry. This stuff is good, what is it."

"Oatmeal."  Jacen told her.                                          

"What?"

"Something Kea brought from Terra.  The cook decided it would make her feel more at home."

"Oh, ok.  That reminds me, has anyone seen any sign of her yet today?"

"I did see her outside this morning," Tenel replied, "She was swimming in the lake and wearing some form of outfit I have never seen before.  It looked like she had been there for a while.  When she spotted me, she ran into the forest."

"How do you know about her?"  Jaina asked

"Jacen told us about her this morning, while you were still sleeping."  Raynar told her from down the table.  

"There's something strange going on with that girl." Jacen added just as Kea walked into the dining room carrying a green shoulder bag, and sat down at an empty table by herself.  The Young Jedi Knights looked over at her.  Kea looked back at them, and then quickly looked down at the table.  She pulled a well-worn paperback book out of her bag and started reading.  Jaina decided to do something about this.  She got up from her table and went over to sit next to Kea.  

"Hi Kea.  What is that you are reading?"  Kea held up the book so that Jaina could see it.  It was called The Crystal Star and had a character on the front that looked suspiciously like her Uncle Luke.  "What's the book about?"

            Kea looked at Jaina.  "You."  She said and resumed reading, not looking up again.  Jaina decided to give up.  Sighing, she went back to her table. 

She dropped back down in her chair as Jacen said, "So did she say anything?"

"Yes, she said the book was about me, and then she kept on reading."

"Wonder what she meant?" Jacen thought out loud.  Then he noticed the sad expression on Jaina's face.  "But cheer up.  Zekk is coming back today.  He sent a message to Uncle Luke, and he came in and told us."  This comment made Jaina happier, and she blushed at the thought of Zekk, but it didn't really help with the problem of this new girl, Kea Jade.

  Mara Jade Skywalker entered the dining hall at this time.  All sixteen eyes of the Young Jedi Knights followed her as she walked over to Kea's table, bent down and told her something.  Kea nodded and putting her book away, she exited the dining hall.  Then Mara came over to the others.

            "Hi Aunt Mara."  Jaina said.  "Where's Kea going?"

            "Luke wanted to talk to her about her Jedi abilities.  Have any of you talked to her about anything yet?"

            "I tried to, but she didn't say much, just that her book was about me, but I don't get it."

            "That's probably because you don't know much about Terra.  I'll try and explain it to you guys, but I don't know how well I can.  That book is about you Jaina, and Jacen, Anakin, and Lusa; it's about the time you were kidnapped by Hethrir."

            "How would she know about that?"  Lusa asked.

            "It's strange, really."  Mara began to explain.  "Terra, called Earth by the locals, is a planet on the edge of the galaxy in the unknown part.  But the planet isn't truly unknown.  A few select people know about, my old employer, Talon Karrde is one of them.  He was the one that suggested I take Kea there after she was born.  That was so the Empire wouldn't find her.  I knew that if the remnants of the Empire ever found out the Emperor's Hand had a child, they knew this child would be strong in the force and a great ally to them, so I hid her on the suggestion of Karrde.  So we traveled to Terra, with Kea being born en route.  Trust me, never give birth on a starship in hyperspace.  Well anyway, Terra was a backwater planet that had little advanced technology, they were still using paper.  I was able to give Kea to a hospital, and they gave me the address of the family that was going to take care of her.  See, what happened was a mother gave birth, but the baby died, even though the mother did not know that, so they pretended Kea was their real baby, naming her a Terran name, and having her grow up knowing nothing of her true heritage."

            "But that doesn't explain why she's reading books about us."  Tahiri interrupted.

            "I was coming to that Tahiri."  Mara answered.  "About 25 years ago, around the time the first Death Star blew, a few travelers found the planet, and told them about the rest of the galaxy.  But the people thought it to be a strange science fiction story, so no one believed them.  Then, one man named George Lucas came across accounts of this meeting.  He liked the story, but instead of saying it was true, he turned it into a sci-fi series called Star Wars, focusing mostly on Luke Leia and Han, and the adventures they had.  It was a huge hit on Terra, so Lucas somehow got in touch with these travelers and they told him more.  Two more movies were made, one about the battle at Hoth and when Han was frozen in carbonite, and the other about Endor and the second Death Star.  The whole series was a great success for Lucas, and he gave some of the profits to create a direct line from Karrde to him.  The travelers knew Karrde would be able to help Lucas better than they could.  So Karrde, with the help of Luke, Leia and Han, sent updates of what was going on in the Galaxy every once in a while to Lucas, who, realizing that more movies would take time and money, decided to create books about everything else.  There are tons of books, and what Kea was reading this morning is only one of them.  She happened to bring them all with her, so if you ask, she might lend you one, and you can read how the story sounded to other people.  And they just released another movie, about the Old Republic.  For some reason, they seem to know more about our history than we do.  I actually met Lucas the first time I went to Terra.  This time I just stopped in to say hi, and see what he knew about the old order of the Jedi.  He provided some valuable information, which could come in handy.  Now that's way Kea seemed surprised yesterday.  To her, you guys are a work of science fiction."

            Everyone stared at Mara with their mouths open when she finished speaking.  Somewhere, somehow, they were famous as fictional characters.  It was too much.  Mara saw the looks on all their faces and said, "Why don't you guys talk to Kea about this next time you see her."

*                      *                      *                      *

After leaving the dining hall, Kea walked up to Master Skywalker's office.  Jaina had showed her the way before, so she knew where she was going.  When she came to the door, it opened by itself, and a voice from inside beckoned her in.

"Good morning Kea."  Master Skywalker called to her.  Kea entered, a little nervous, but also impressed.  This was _the _Luke Skywalker, a person she had read about, but never thought existed.  "Considering you are my wife's daughter, I would like to get to know you, but I also called you here to test you."

Kea gulped and sat in one of the chairs

"Mara told me a lot about you last night, and how she trained you enough for you to make a lightsaber on your way here.  So where is you Jedi weapon?"

"Back on the ship."  Kea said in a barely audible voice.  

"Why?"  This one word caused Kea to look at the ground as tears filled her eyes.  Luke knew enough not to pry further, he'd ask Mara about it later.  "Ok, don't worry about it, but could I do one quick thing before you go?"  Kea nodded, and Luke reached deep into her mind to that blocked wall in the back and pushed against it.  One moment he was standing next to her, and the next he was flung backwards, hitting the wall.  Kea looked up at him concerned, and he got off the ground and told her she could leave.  

On the way back to her room, a few thoughts ran through Kea's head.  _Why I am afraid of this place?  What is wrong with me?_


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 has arrived.  Took me long enough.

Disclaimer: I unfortunately do not own Star Wars.  I do own Kea and Jett though, or at least I think I do.

**Chapter 3******

            The Lightning Rod came out of hyperspace at the edge of the Yavin system.  Behind the controls, Zekk smiled as the familiar orange planet and moons came into view.  He couldn't wait to get back to the jungle moon and surprise all his friends with a certain someone.  Three weeks ago, Zekk got a surprise transmission from a very old friend.  Jett Wilder used to be his best friend back on the planet Ennth.  But that was before Zekk's family was killed and he ran away to start a new life.  Somehow, Jett had found where Zekk was staying and contacted him.  So Zekk returned to Ennth to reminisce.  Both bad memories and good ones flowed back into his memory as he walked around the surface of the planet with Jett.  It was great to see his old friend again, and he decided to bring him back to the Jedi Temple with him, because Jett's family had died in one of the latest destruction sequence.

            A noise in the doorway snapped Zekk out of his memories.  "So which one's Yavin 4?"  Jett asked, sitting down in the co-pilot's chair.  

            "That green one right in front."  Zekk told him.  "It should take about another hour to land, and then I can introduce you to everyone I have been telling you about."

            "It's about time.  You have got to be the slowest I've ever flown with."  He kidded Zekk.  Zekk got back at him by punching him in the gut.  "Damn that hurt.  And just for that, I'm gonna do a little flirting with Jaina while I'm there."

            "You wouldn't dare."  He tried to suppress it, but you could see the anger flaring up in Zekk's eyes.

            "Relax, I was joking.  Man, you must really like her if you won't even let your best friend think about her."  Jett's ice blue eyes shown as he laughed.

"No, it's not like that.  She's just a good friend."  Zekk said, trying to cover up the fact that his face had just gone bright crimson.  

"Sure.  Whatever you say Zekk."  Jett answered, not believing him one bit.  He let the subject drop, waiting to use it against him at another time.  "So what's this moon like again?"

"It's green."  Zekk answered, staring out the viewport to the moon the grew larger.  "A whole lot of green, like an ocean of trees, with a stone building popping up here and there.  The trees are great for climbing or just sitting in and thinking."  His mind wandered back to the last time he was in one of those large Massassi trees.  He was sitting on a large branch, with Jaina next to him, watching the stars twinkle overhead.  He had just put her arm around her, and was deciding to kiss her when Jacen bounded up the tree to them, ruining the moment.

"Hey Zekk, snap out of it."  Jett waved his hand in front of Zekk's face.  He blinked, and looked up as Jett said, "would you stop with the day dreaming about your love life?  Whatever, just wake me when we land."  He then sat down in the co-pilot seat, put his feet up on the consol, leaned back, and promptly fell asleep.

"Wish I could do that."  Zekk remarked, looking over at his friend.  Then he turned back and started preparing the ship for landing.

About an hour later, the Lightning Rod touched down on the landing field.  Zekk took time to shutdown the ship and then opened the hatch.  He was about to wake up Jett when he heard something.  A moment later, a brown haired figure ran at him, encircling him in a powerful hug.

"Zekk, you're back!"  Jaina Solo had waited all morning for that ship, and it was finally here.  Zekk smiled at the girl in his arms and hugged her back fiercely.

"Would someone please lower the volume?"  Jett had woken up.  "I was trying to finish a very good dream.  Oh, hi there, you must be Jaina Solo."  He said, noticing the girl in his friend's arms.

"Yep, that's me, but who are you?"

"I happen to be the famous Jett Wilder."  He said taking her hand in both of his.

"Yeah, famous at getting us in trouble back home."  Zekk put in, snatching back Jaina's hand for himself.

"That was not entirely my fault, you know.  Part of it was yours and my brother's."

"Yeah, but it was you who got us to go for it.  What happened to your brother anyway?"

"I'll tell you later, ok?  Right now I wanna see where I get to crash tonight."

"I'll show ya."  Jaina said, amused at the exchange between the two older boys.  "C'mon."  The two of them grabbed their bags, and followed Jaina off the ship.

They were walking through the field when Kea emerged from the building reading a different book.  She didn't seem to notice the three of them as she walked right by, almost running into Zekk.  He quickly jumped out of the way, but that caused him to drop one of his bags on his foot.  It just so happened to be the bag with all his heavy tools in it.  She didn't notice this either, and continued into the forest.

"Damn! That hurt."  He shrieked, hopping up and down on one foot.  "Who was she, and why did she have to cause me so much pain?"

Jett broke out in laughter as Jaina tried to suppress it enough to explain to Zekk.

"So she's Mara's daughter?"  He asked trying to understand what Jaina had just told him.

"Yeah, from Terra, and she hasn't spoken much since she first arrived."

"Oh, ok."  Zekk then smacked Jett to get him to stop laughing.

"Ouch, what'd ya do that for?"

"It's the only way I know to get you to pay attention.  Let's go unpack."

Jaina walked with them to Zekk's room and then left, saying she had to go talk to her Aunt about something.  The boys said goodbye and went into the room

"So I'm rooming with you?"  Jett asked as he put his bags down and surveyed the small room.

"Yeah, it's the only option we've got right now, all the rest of the rooms are full."

"That's fine with me."  Jett said, lying down on the bed with his hands behind his head.

"No way.  You get the floor."  Zekk threw a few blankets at him.

"That's not fair.  I am the guest after all."  He said, getting up of the bed, and spreading the blankets on the floor.

"As much of a guest as a taun-taun."  Zekk kidded.

"Are you implying that I stink?

"Exactly."

"Well, you don't smell like a flower yourself."  Jett joked back, unpacking some of his stuff.  "Time for new topic.  That girl was cute."

"Jaina?  Yeah, I know, she's…"  

Jett interrupted his fantasies.  "No, not your girlfriend, although she isn't that bad looking herself.  I'm talking about that Kea girl."

"You, my friend, are strange.  You've been here for how long and you're already acting like you live here."

"For this moment on, I do."


End file.
